


selfish machines

by kalawakan



Series: bona fide [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 11:59:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8161382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalawakan/pseuds/kalawakan
Summary: “Agent Hong, fancy seeing you here.”





	

**_728 HOURS EARLIER_  
Location: NEW MEXICO**

 

 

“Agent Hong, fancy seeing you here.”

Joshua allowed himself to grin a little. There was no way he would let his guard down and be lost in those soft, hazelnut eyes once again. He twisted his wrist, making sure to hide the sound with his perfectly practiced cough, before surveying the area.

Four guards stood by the main entrance, each armed with an M16A4 and an SIG Sauer P226, while two were roaming around carrying Glock pistols and two tactical knives strapped on their waists. A line of large pillars filed to support the nave of the church. _Perfect_. Joshua looked back up at the man standing in front of him, “Should we get onto it? We don't have all day.”

“Anything you want,” the man said, eyes glinting with mischief as he stared straight into his soul like he knew every secret and information hidden inside the deepest corners of Joshua’s brain.

Hansol Vernon Chwe a.k.a. Agent Zero for the few privileged people who knew that he existed but didn’t know his full name, or just **_Stealth_** as listed under the System, was a Class A, Senior Agent spy with a Level 10 clearance (which was ridiculous, in Joshua’s point of view, since he was the only one who had that title) for LYNX—a secret organization solely created to unearth other secret organizations responsible for various crimes against humanity. Being a son of two members of the Board of Directors, Hansol was trained since he was seven to become the perfect agent. His missions were all classified (only agents with Level 10 clearance were the only ones allowed to access his missions) and all traces of him were deleted everywhere, including CCTV footages, any picture of him found on the internet, and even fingerprints of him; earning him the name ‘Stealth’.

He was _that_ good.

Except maybe he wasn’t.

Joshua tracked him three months after he betrayed LYNX to join another organization, D.I.S.C., to spy on the Government of the United States and exploit all information they know about the extraterrestrial activities happening around the world.

“Let’s start with what you know,” Hansol starts, voice loud enough for the guards stationed on the main entrance to hear. “Which organization do you currently work for?”

Joshua arched an eyebrow up, trying to hide his surprise. He was definitely not expecting that question. He thought that after the other defected to another agency, he would spill everything and try to infiltrate LYNX. Turned out, Joshua was wrong about him. Again.

Hansol kept his face neutral, putting both hands inside of his pockets. Joshua tilted his head to the side to cover up the movements of his wrists, when Hansol leaned in close to his ear, enough to make the hairs on Joshua’s back stand, “I’m not blind or deaf, Agent Hong. Now be a good kid and let the expert do his job.”

As soon as he took a step back, Hansol’s phone rang, alerting the six guards. Hansol waved them off, “It’s the Boss, boys. I need to take this somewhere with,” he paused and winked at Joshua, “less inconvenience. Do you mind?”

“No, sir,” The biggest of the guards answered. Joshua carefully untied the rope on his wrists and clasped it tightly with his right hand so the guards wouldn't notice. He watched as Hansol walked outside, the phone on his hand was at least half an inch away from his ear. When the doors’ locks clicked, Joshua whistled, “Hey, big guy. Can I get a little help in here?”

He half expected the guard to ignore him and continue guarding the door, except the biggest actually strolled towards him with his gun down. _Ah_ , Joshua thought, _and they told me all of these men were trained_. Joshua waited until the guard was only few steps away from him, looking for the perfect moment.

When the guard stepped on the same place where Hansol was standing awhile ago, he stood up and grabbed the chair, swiftly whipping it around from his behind to hit the side of the guard’s head. The two nearest guards withdrew their knives, smart enough to not throw one in Joshua’s direction. He ducked and gracefully removed the gun from the holster of the big guard’s belt and hid behind a pillar, waiting for them to move first. As much as he would like to end this fast and clean, he couldn’t disregard one of their most important protocols: let the enemy attack first before countering.

“There are six of you and he managed to escape? I thought they sent me their best?” Joshua heard Hansol’s voice loud and clear, more pissed off than shocked, “I guess we’ll have to do this the hard way, then.”

Instead of seeing the other agent to appear right next to him, he heard a chain of grunts from where the guards were posted. He immediately used the moment to skid from one pillar to another but a knife flew past him, almost hitting his shoulder and Joshua's eyes caught its details.

A tri-dagger.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Joshua muttered but continued to move towards the main entrance. He heard a loud grunt that sounded just like Hansol’s . Joshua peeked at the open space and saw Hansol fighting two of the guards with his barehands.

Joshua fired two bullets at one, making sure to hit his head before speaking, “Bravo Tango, do you copy?”

No answer.

“Anyone on comms?”

Hansol was sitting beside him in seconds that Joshua didn't even have time to react, “Six guards and you’re calling back-up? What happened to you?” The other asked, panting.

“We’re out-armed and they have tri-fucking-daggers. _Wait_ ,” Joshua narrows his eyes at him suspiciously, “you already know that, don’t you?”

Hansol rolled his eyes and reached at the small tube-like pocket strapped on his lower leg, drawing out his own tri-dagger, “Of course.” He threw the dagger gracefully, which flew past Joshua, hitting a guard behind him. Joshua glared at him and cocked his gun before standing up, running across the nave of the church, dodging whatever was thrown and shot in his way.

And then he fired. Joshua shot two bullets at one guard, aiming at his right shoulder and left leg. He immediately hid behind one of the pillars when another guard began shooting nonstop bullets in his direction, “I didn’t sign up for this!” He yelled to no one in particular.

“Neither did I!” Hansol answered back. Joshua tried not to roll his eyes and looked back on the area. He could sense someone was coming from behind him but he was too late. The biggest one was back up on his feet, arms locked on Joshua’s head with a tri-dagger pointed at his throat. He aimed for the guard’s balls, making sure his kick will hit the area hard enough, and withdrew the knife hidden under his sleeves.

Joshua lashed out on the guard, stabbing him anywhere the knife can bite its blade on. He was just about to turn after slashing the guard's throat when Hansol dove in front of him, pushing him aside in the process. He reached for the nearest discarded gun and aimed directly at the last guard standing.

Hansol stayed very still on the ground by the time that Joshua had reached him. And then he saw the blood. It was everywhere. “Anyone on comms? Agent Zero is bleeding out. Send medic. ASAP. I repeat, send medic _**ASAP**_.”

Joshua dropped down next to him, surveying the tri-dagger stuck in his left abdomen, “Breathe in, breathe out. Stay with me, okay?”

Hansol murmured something incoherent, a hand holding onto Joshua’s own. “Don’t talk. The medic’s gonna be here soon.”

Joshua continued on with his ramblings, practically lecturing the back-up team through his ear-piece, that he didn’t realize he was shaking until Hansol chuckled softly. He looked at him, trying his best to look like he was all calm about the situation.

“You look really cute when you’re worried about me,” Hansol said with a smile as he squeezed his hand lightly and Joshua almost swore to God that he was going to punch the lights out of this guy if he wasn’t already bleeding. Before he could say anything about it, however, the doors of the church opened, enveloping both of them in the blinding sunlight.

 

 

 ** _17 MONTHS AGO_  
** **LYNX Headquarters**  
**Location: CLASSIFIED**

 

 

The whole thing was an ultra-mega-super pain in the ass before it had even started. Hansol never gave a flying fuck about whether his life will be at risk on a mission just as long as he was doing his mission alone and not with some partner who can’t even hit a moving target from a few meters away. He knew beforehand, of course, how the new director will make sure that Hansol’s life would be a living hell. That was why he did his research; to make sure they won’t get the best of him.

Except his research led to this.

“Sir, with all due respect, I have successfully completed over a thousand missions already ever since I was skilled enough to fire a gun, and I did all of that _**alone**_. I don’t need a partner,” Hansol said firmly while clenching his fists behind his back. He never, in his entire eleven years of being an agent of LYNX, had any qualms with the System until the new Deputy Director of Operations was appointed. Everything changed from the treatments of the new agents to the overall external and internal structure of the organization.

“I think you’re missing something here, Agent Zero,” Director Westwing, the new DDO, said. “I’m not asking you to take him in, I’m assigning him to you.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, sir. Do I not have a say in this?” Hansol argued, “Sir, I’m not just any Class A, Senior Agent. I’m  _the_ Class A, Senior Agent.”

”So you are,” Director Westwing grinned, showing his perfect white teeth as if attempting to blind Hansol with them, “but I’m  _the_ director and I’m not a fan of democracy. Now are we clear?”

Hansol could almost hear the period after each word. If his parents weren’t inside the room, he would bitch-slap the shit out of Westwing already just so he can remove that stupid grin of his. Everything was much better when Director Johnson was still alive. Hansol nodded, a stiff up and down motion of his head, “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Westwing said. “Bring him in.”

The massive oak doors opened in sync, revealing a slender man dressed in a fitted suit. Hansol had seen him before in pictures, he even profiled the man himself when he transferred to LYNX, but it didn’t change the fact that all the words and complaints in his head disappeared when he gazed into those beautiful, smiley eyes.

“Agent Hong,” Director Westwing started, his too bright smile was so distracting that Hansol kept his eyes glued on the bridge of his nose instead, “this is Agent Zero. He will be your Senior Officer for the mean time.”

His partner smiled at him and offered a hand. Hansol looked at the new agent’s face, down to the extended hand in front of him then back at his face, “We don't shake hands with our SOs.”

“Play nice,” his mother hissed from behind him. Hansol looked at Westwing, who was still sporting that stupid grin on his face, and raised his eyebrows in question, “Orders, sir?”

“Train him. We need both of you in the field as soon as possible,” Westwing looked back and forth between them, “Dismissed.”

They waited in silence as everyone left the room and as soon as the door's lock clicked, Joshua turned to him, “So, what are we up to today?”

“A lot,” Hansol said, scanning the contents of the folder that Westwing gave him which contains all the necessary (and unnecessary) information about Joshua. “It says here that you were a CIA officer. How did you know about LYNX?”

Joshua stood up straighter, clearly uncomfortable about the question, “Director Westwing hired me directly.”

Hansol snorted. Of course, a former CIA officer would hire a fellow former CIA officer to join him in his newly found success. _Typical_.

He continued reading, “Born on the thirtieth day of December, year ninety-five, an only child, originally from Los Angeles, and likes vanilla,” Hansol looked up and gave him a lopsided grin. “Kinky.”

Joshua stayed silent, the tips of his ears reddening.

“Tell me, Agent Hong,” Hansol started, closing the folder before leaning against the wall, “what do you know about me?”

“Nothing.”

“Sir.”

The other looked confused and Hansol smiled, “You forgot to add ‘sir’.”

“Nothing, _**sir**_.”

Hansol strolled forward, maybe a little too close even for his own liking, and looked at Joshua from head to toe before meeting his eyes, “A word of advice, agent, and I’m sure you already know this,” he stepped backward and put his hands behind his back. “Know everything you can about the people around you and give only little information about yourself so that they can never— _ever—_ have the advantage to kill you. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Hansol gave the other one last smile and walked towards the door. He turned his head just enough to let the other see his side profile, “Go change and meet me at the training area in ten.”

 

 

**_719 HOURS EARLIER_  
LOCATION: CLASSIFIED**

 

 

Joshua watched everything through the massive glass windows. The scratches on his arms, legs and face were nothing compared to the surgery that Hansol went. He didn’t even move from where he was standing until the nurses insisted that he should shower and change because his own wounds might get infected.

He wanted to punch Hansol. He wanted to kick him hard in the stomach like he did during one of their intensive training sessions. He wanted to scream his lungs out until his voice failed him. Except he was glued on the very same spot where he was standing nine hours ago. Joshua had never felt so helpless before. All he could do was stare at Hansol's sleeping form and pray that his wound will heal fast enough.

 _Damn Hansol and his **No, I Should Be The Hero** attitude_.

“He’ll be fine, Agent Hong. You can rest now.” Agent Vernon said softly, standing just a few steps away from him. They both stared at Hansol through the glass windows in silence.

It took him a few minutes to put the things in his mind into words. He wasn’t even sure that he had the right to ask, “Why didn’t anyone tell me that it was just an undercover mission?”

“Then it wouldn’t be called an undercover mission anymore, would it?”

“I’m his partner,” he said firmly.

“Not on this one, you’re not.”

“I thought he betrayed us. I thought he betrayed this organization,” Joshua stopped himself from saying _I thought he betrayed **me**_ out loud, “I loathed him for months.”

“Taught you a great lesson for a limited time, didn’t it?” Agent Vernon started with a smile. “That no matter how much you know one person, they’ll still be unpredictable in the end. Go take some rest, Agent Hong. You deserve it.”

With that, Agent Vernon turned and walked away, heels clacking softly against the tiled floor.

“And you’re okay with this?” Joshua called after, finally looking down at her direction. “He’syour son.”

She stopped and turned her head to the side and Joshua was sure that the smile on her lips was forced, “We all need to sacrifice something for the greater good.”

 

 

**_3 MONTHS AGO_  
LOCATION: BULGARIA**

 

 

Hansol was starting to hate LYNX more and more as each months passed. It seemed like Westwing made him and Joshua his personal favorite, putting them more on the frontline even in missions that only involved sitting in front of stores, which only annoyed the the Elite Team.

Not to say that he wasn’t thankful for the little moments he got to spend with Joshua, but assigning someone who basically trained their entire life to become the best to a stupid mission—that even someone without any training could pull off—was a little offending.

Little did he know, Westwing was just preparing him for the worst.

“It’s a secret passed on from one director to another and is only practiced once every seventy-five years,” the late Director Johnson told him back when he was just a kid. “The Board will pick the best agent and make everyone else think that he defected to another organization. Once the agent completes his mission, the Board will then send another agent who will either rescue or kill the defector base on his own judgments.”

It was too cruel and it was definitely pure nonsense. While it would be such a great honor to be chosen, it was one that Hansol would gladly not take any part in. He already had too much blood on his hands.

Then everything crumbled two days ago.

“You okay?” Joshua asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

They started off in a rough path but, for some reason, Hansol felt a lot calmer when he was around him. It was like he built the high walls around him and it only took seven months for Joshua to tear it all down. Hansol told him a lot of things that he had never even considered telling his parents, ate weird-tasting food, watched corny movies that he had never thought he would watch in his entire lifetime, and a lot more. With Joshua, Hansol felt like he was someone normal. Just the two of them in their own little bubble. He looked at him and smiled, “Of course.”

Two days ago he received his mission in the most LYNX way possible. Through a cat. He was just about to enter his own room located inside the LYNX Headquarters vicinity when a Russian Blue cat, wearing a sky blue collar, circled his leg. Their color for ‘undercover mission’.

“It’s just that you look distracted today,” Joshua said with a shrug, “are you sure you're really okay?”

“I’m going to punch you if you ask me that again,” He replied. The other rolled his eyes at him and kicked his sheen. The car stopped just before Hansol could take his revenge and Hansol sucked in a sharp breath. This was it. The moment he had been dreading of.

“Change of plans,” he heard Westwing on the radio, “Agent Zero, you’ll be the only one deployed in this area. Agent Hong, stay put.”

“What?” Joshua asked in bewilderment. “Is he for real?”

Hansol sighed, “He is. I better go now. Follow his next orders.”

Just when he was about to leave the car, he felt a strong, vise-like grip on his wrist. Hansol looked at it and up at Joshua’s face, noticing the tip of his ears reddening.

“Just do me a favor,” the other said, looking at him straight in the eyes, “don't die out there.”

 

 

**_PRESENT DAY_  
Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA**

 

 

His doorbell rang loudly, snapping him out of whatever funk he was on. He had been like that for, what, almost a month? Always spacing out. Always thinking of other stuff. It was stupid. He was stupid.

Exactly two weeks ago, Director Westwing told him to take some time off to deal with ‘his own issues’ because he can't seem to focus on his tasks at hand (which went from kicking a lot of ass in the field to shredding documents in the Finance Department).

Joshua opened the door without bothering to check who it was first.

“I brought dinner.”

His brain took too long to process the fact that Hansol was the one at his doorstep. One of the few reasons why he was grateful about his temporary leave was because he couldn’t face Hansol. He avoided him like the plague in every way that he can. And now he was here, wearing ripped jeans and a black shirt with a _DRINK WATER!_ print on the front.

The other pushed past him, looked around his living room before continuing his way to the dining area. Joshua closed the door and took a deep breath, following Hansol. He leaned on the wall and looked at the other, waiting for him to say something.

The silence was deafening.

Hansol raked his fingers through his hair, “Josh, listen—”

“What the hell were you thinking?” Joshua said at the same time. “You can’t just throw yourself in front of me. I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself and you’re not some goddamn shield, Hansol.”

“He was aiming at your legs, it’s a clever tactical strategy,” Hansol argued.

“He wasn’t aiming for my legs, you idiot.”

The other snorted, “Again, you weren’t properly trained and I'm _the_ Class A, Senior Agent. I know more than you do.”

“As _the_ Class A, Senior Agent, you're an _**ass**_.”

“ _Oh_ ,” Hansol grinned, “so I’ve been told.”

“I hate you,” He muttered under his breath, earning a chuckle from the other. Joshua glared at him. “This is funny to you?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck you.”

Joshua wished he didn’t say any of those because in an instant, Hansol moved in front of him, still sporting that stupid grin on his face and was looking down at him like he was some sort of display at a toy store. He could feel the familiar heat rushing up to his neck up to the tips of his ears. It was the same feeling back when he was assigned to work with him for the first time.

“I missed you, too.” Hansol replied and Joshua thought that being swallowed by the ground that he was standing on wasn't such a bad idea. He focused his eyes on anything except Hansol's face.

“I was worried,” Joshua said before he could stop himself, “and mad because you disappeared without a trace. I _thought_ —” he finally allowed himself to look up, “I thought you betrayed all of us.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“Are you feeling okay now?” Joshua murmured, he couldn't bring himself to raise his voice any louder because Hansol was too fucking close to let him think straight.

“Never been better,” Hansol answered, pulling his shirt up for Joshua to see the scar. It was still fresh but Joshua’s fingers found their way on the other’s smooth skin. He brushed his thumb lightly on the scar and when he looked up, Hansol was studying his face.

“You really don’t have any idea, do you?”

“Hmm?” Joshua managed to ask, a hand still lingering on the other's pelvic bone.

Hansol’s face danced with all sorts of emotion. Joshua was pretty sure something was going on behind those hazelnut eyes that he couldn’t decipher. Hansol dropped his gaze to his lips then and everything inside Joshua's mind clicked. Like the missing piece to the puzzle was finally found.

The other sighed, “Damn, and you call yourself a spy.”

He didn’t even get the chance to reply because Hansol was leaning in close to place his lips on his and Joshua’t mind went completely blank. They just stood there for a moment, lips locked, until Joshua let his mouth relaxed. Hansol cupped his face, angling it, to deepen the kiss. His fingers worked their way through Hansol’s hair, tugging it softly. The other shoved him against the wall and wedged his thigh between Joshua’s legs, rubbing him in all the right places.

Joshua didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He felt light-headed and his heart might as well burst from too much happiness. Hansol kept kissing him like his life depended on it until they eventually pulled away from each other, both panting.

Hansol gave him a soft kiss on his cheek before pressing his forehead against his and smiled, “We should eat.”

Joshua chuckled, “Fuck eating.”


End file.
